Federal funds may cut cost of Brent Spence Bridge toll

Feds consider project an 'urgent' need, official says

An unexpected funding source may help reduce the cost of a proposed toll to help pay for a replacement for the Brent Spence Bridge.

President Barack Obama's "Fix It First" proposal brings the possibility of federal funding back to the project, and the new president of the OKI Regional Council of Governments said federal funds would play an important role.

"Nobody said where it's going to come from, nobody said what pot, there's no appropriations that have been made," said Todd Portune, OKI president, who just returned from two days of meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

But Portune said a consensus was developing about finding a way to make federal dollars available at a meaningful level.

That flies in the face of what Ohio and Kentucky's governors have said recently about the inevitability of tolls.

"The idea that Uncle Sam is going to ride in here on a white horse and write us a check, just put that out of your mind because it's not going to happen," said Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear two months ago.

No one expects to spot a "white horse" alongside 172,000 daily vehicles on the Brent Spence anytime soon, but the two-state Value For Money Study might have a new figure to add to the equation at some point.

"We are going to make application for that and do everything in our power to obtain those funds," said Rob Hans, of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

The time frame is getting tricky. Kentucky and Ohio want a funding formula in place by the end of the year, but the study about tolls and how much commuters would pay is being pushed into April.

OKI's director also met with Congressional representatives about the sudden shift in tone.

"The one word that we heard from the federal government was 'urgency,'" said Mark Policinski, OKI director. "The urgency of this project is building. If there's anything that can help break loose funding on the federal level, it's that."

Copyright 2013 byWLWT.comAll rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.